Means for securing metallic or other sheets together



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

.J. T. MORROW; MEANS FOR SECURING METALLIC 0R DTHEESHEETS TOGETHER.

Patented Mar. 8, 1898. 3

Inventor gRWQM 6 .PW. blipmmesses (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. T. MORROW. 4 MEANS FOR SECURING METALLIC OR OTHER SHEETS TOGETHER No.600,498. Patented Mar. 8, 18-98.

Witnesses Inventor Fag. 2. 3? IJ IM (No Model.) 4 Sheets$heet 4.

J. T. MORROW.

MEANS FOR SECURING METALLIC OR OTHER SHEETS TOGETHER.

N0. 600,498. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

Inventor fittomeg UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. MORROTV, OF GREAT FALLS, MONTANA.

MEANS FOR SECURING METALLIC OR OTHER SHEETS TOGETHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,498, dated March 8,1898. Application filed August 26, 1897. Serial No. 649,580. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN T. MORROW, of Great Falls, Montana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for SecuringMetallic or other Sheets Together, of which the following is adescription, referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a partof this specification.

In various arts it is desirable to secure together sheets of variousmaterials-such as paper, cardboard, and various metals. As an instance,in refining copper by electricity thin sheets of pure copper are used asanodes on which to form the deposit. These sheets are convenientlysuspended in the bath by means of strips or clips, which are looped overa rod and are secured to the upper end of each sheet, so as to suspendit from the rod.

These strips or clips are formed from thin sheet'copper also, and it iscommon to rivet or otherwise secure the clips to the sheets in somesimple way. In the present invention the sheets which form the clips areput in place upon the edge of the larger sheet, and a punch is thendriven through the three thicknesses of metal, and the ends, which areturned up by the punch, are then clenched on the under side of thesheets, so as to unite the clips to the large sheet. My machine isintended to effect this operation mechanically, and with a meremodification of strength, weight, and proportions the machine may beadapted to secure together sheets of any material.

The invention may be embodied in a variety of diiferent ways and will bebest understood from a description of the machine,which is illustratedin the accompanying drawings and which forms the most approvedembodiment of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine for securingtwo clips simultaneously to a large sheet of copper, some details beingshown in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation from the right side ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of Fig. 1 on the plane 3 3, lookin gtoward the left. Fig. 4: is a crosssection of the upper portion of themachine on the plane 1 at of Fig. 1. looking to the left, this planebeing the axial plane of the punching and clenching dies. Fig. 5 is adetail sectional View on the plane 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows themovable bending-bar. Fig. 7 is a central section through the dividedpunching-dies when opened, and Fig. 8 is the same when closed. Fig. 9shows the upper portion of a plate with two clips clenched onto it. Fig.10 is a cross-section of Fig. 9 on plane 10 10. Fig. 11 is a detail ofguiding mechanism.

Throughout the drawings like figures of reference indicate like parts.

The punches for punching the plates that are to be clenched together inthe manner indicated in Figs. 9 and 10 are indicated at 10. The movableclenching-tools are indicated at 11. I will first describe the mannerinwhich a punch and a die of this nature may be used by hand, illustratingby Figs. 9 and 10. An understanding of this action will facilitate thedescription of the machine.

A clip or strip of metal may be cut of sufficient size to form one ofthe clips 12. (Indicated in Figs. 9 and 10.) After this has been bentover by hand in the shape shown and placed in position upon the edge ofthe large sheet 13, so that the two ends of the clip lie on oppositesides of the sheet 13, the punch is driven through the three thicknessesof metal at the point 14. In Fig. 9 the metal is viewed from the burside of the sheetthat is to say, from the side opposite that againstwhich the punch acts. The direction of the action of the punch isindicated in Fig. 10 by the dotted lines, which show the ragged pointsof metal in the position after the punch has been driven through andwithdrawn. The clenching-die is then brought into action from the otherside of the metal, acting upon the turned-up points ina reversedirection to the action of the punch, and the points are clenched overand flattened out, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, looking the clips 12rigidly to the sheet 13. This is my method of securing the sheetstogether.

Turning now to the machine, the frame or housing 20 supports thehorizontal table 21, upon which the sheets 13 are laid in position to bepunched by the two punches 10. The

blanks for the clips 12 are out from sheets and are dropped into therear of the machine upon 100 the inclined table 23, between suitableguides 2-1, and against the stop 25. In Fig. 4 the flat blank 12 isshown in position ready to be bent by the bending-bar 30. Thisbendingbar 30 is mounted to travel in two guideways 31 at each sideofthe machine andis guided by the crank-arms 32, turning on the rockshaft33, and connected by the links 34 to the two ends of the bending-bar 30.The rockshaft 33 is vibrated by means of crank-arm 39, connecting-rod35, and roller 36, which travels in the channel 370 in the cam 37. Thecam 37 is mounted upon the main shaft 38 of the machine. Asinglerevolution of the main shaft 38 completes one cycle of the machine. Thelower end of the connecting-rod 35 is guided by means of the forked end40, the two ends of which rest on either side of the shaft 38 and guiderod 35 as it moves to and from the shaft 38. It will be understood fromthe figures that two of the flat blanks 12 are introduced at the back ofthe machine simultaneously in two sets of guides 24 and that these twoblanks are simultaneously bent by the movement of the bending-bar 30through the opening in the table 23. the mechanism for bending one clip.In Fig. 4, in dotted lines, the position of the clip when it is beingbent is shown, and at 300 in Fig. 4 the dotted lines indicate the lowerlimit of motion of the bending-bar 30. The bending of each clip aroundthe bending-bar 30 is facilitated by means of the spring-pressedfriction-foot 41, the spring 411 of which may be adjusted by means ofthe tension-nuts 412. This friction-foot 41 presses one end of the clipinto the recess 44 in the bending-bar 30. After the bending-bar hasreached the lower limit of its motion and started on its return movementupward the bent clip drops from the bending-bar into the inclined chuteor guideway 42, down which it slides and assumes the position shown at420, ready to be afterward forwarded onto the edges of the sheet 13,which is shown in place in Fig. 4, ready to receive it. It will beunderstood from this that the chute 42 is directly behind the punch 10and that the bending and dropping of the clip takes place directly abovethe chute 42. The feeding forward of each clip is accomplished by theslides or feeders 50, mounted on the transverse bar 51, which isoperatively connected at each end by link 52 and crank-arm 53 with therockshaft 33, so as to be actuated simultaneously with the bending-bar30. l/Vhen the bendingbar descends, the two feeders feed thepreviously-bent clips forward under the punches while the bending-bar isbending two new clips, and these two new clips fall from the bending-barinto the chutes 42 as soon as the bending-bar begins to move upward andthe feeders 50 begin to withdraw backward. Therefore the clips are bentby the bendingbar 30 and drop to the position 420 in the cycle oroperation of the machine preceding the cycle in which the same clips arefed in and secured to the sheet 13. As each bent I will describe clip isfed forward by its feeder-slide 50 from the position shown at 420 inFig. 4 a suitablyinclined surface 510 on the cross-bar 51 strikes a dog540 on lever-arm 54, pivoted at 55, and raises the lever-arm against theaction of the spring 56. The other end of this lever 54 is connected,preferably, by a slotted connec tion with a crank-arm 57, (see Fig. 11,)which turns a pivoted movable guide-finger 58 and causes it to move inthe path indicated in dotted lines and press down the upper end of thebent clip shown at 420, so as to insure its passing under the punch 10and other obstructions. It will be seen that this movement isaccomplished when the rear end of the lever 54 at the right hand in Fig.4 is raised, so as to depress the other end of the lever against theaction of the spring 56. This takes place just as or just before eachfeed-slide 5O begins to advance the bent clip in front of it at theposition 420. The position of the clip when fed into the machine isshown at 45 in dotted lines, its two ends lying, respectively, above andbelow the plate 13 and overlapping the plate 13 directly beneath thepunch 10.

I will next describe the introduction of the plate 13 into the machine.

The plate 13 is laid on the table 21 and pressed laterally against theadjustable guide 22, which may be set for the various widths ofdifferent plates 13 by means of the bolts 28, which extend throughtransverse slots in the guide-plate 22, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2,3, and 4. Guided by the guide 22 the plate 13 is pushed back into themachine until its rear end, passing under the guide-fingers 29,

is stopped by the vertical portion of these guide-fingers 29. Theseguide-fingers 29 may be placed at almost any position along the back ofthe table 21, clear of the moving parts of the machine. Immediatelyafter the plate 13 has been put in place, the machine started, and eachof the two clips fed into the position shown at 45 in Fig. 4 the divideddies 60 rise up to the level of the table 21 and the two.

the punches 10 causes the clenching-tools 11,

which move with the punches 1O upward, to turn down and clench theprojecting burs, so as to fasten the clips to the plate, as indicated inFigs. 9 and 10. During this motion the divided dies 60 open to let theclenchingtools 11 pass upward. As-soon as the clenching has beeneffected each clenching-tool 11 drops to the position shown in Fig. 4and the presser-foot 7 O rises, releasing the plate 13, so

ICC

IIO

it may be drawn from the machine with each of the clips secured, asindicated in Figs. 9 and 10.

I will now describe the means by which these several motions areefiected.

It will be seen from the foregoing that punches 10 and clenching-tools11 move together, that the presser-feet 70 have an independent anddifferently-timed movement,and that the divided dies 60 have a thirdindependent movement. Consequently, in addition to the cam 37 alreadydescribed, which actuates the bending and feeding-in mechanism for theclips, I mount upon the main shaft three different cams or pairs of camsfor effecting the three different motions just referred to. The split ordivided dies 60 are shown in section in Figs. 7 and 8. Each of thesedivided dies consists of the two parts, as indicated, pivotally securedto the supporting-bar 61 by pivots 62. The bar 61 is connected at eitherend with the vertical rod 63 and cam-rollers 64, which roll upon the twocams 65, so as to raise and lower the bar 61, and with it the divideddies 60. The cams 65 are so designed and timed that the dies 60 areraised immediately after the machine is started and its cycle begun, andthey remain raised until after the punching operation and preferabl yuntil just before the clenching-tools 11 begin to rise. In the closedposition, as shown in Fig. 8, these dies leave a central opening for thecooperating punches 10; but these openings are not large enough topermit the movements of the clenching-tools 11, and for this reason thedies are constructed to open and close, as well as to rise and fall. Itis not essential that they should rise and fall, though by so doing theyleave greater freedom for the introduction of the bent clips into place.It is not absolutely essential that they should divide; but if not asufficiently large central perforation must be provided for each of theclenching-tools 11. The closing of the divided dies 60 is effected bymeans of the stationary pins 66, of which there is one for each movabledie member. These pins 66 bear against the inclined faces 67 of the diesand cause them to be forced together as they are raised by the movementof bar 61. The bar 61 may be guided in its movement by the rods 63,which extend through the movable plate 71, which latter is mounted tohave only a vertical motion upon the framing 20, as will be presentlydescribed. The presser-feet 70 are bolted to or otherwise mounted on theupper portion of this plate 71, so as to move with it. Properly-timedmovement is given to the plate 71 by means of the cams 72 upon the mainshaft 38 and the cam-rollers and connections 73, secured to the lowerend of the plate 71. The rubber spring 74, which may be adjusted andcompressed by the nuts 75, gives a yielding or spring connection betweenthe plates 71 and the driving-cam 72, so that the presser-feet 7 0 mayyield to adapt themselves to different thicknesses of the plates 13 andclips 12. The cams 72 are so timed that the presser-feet 70 are broughtdown upon the work immediately after the bent clips have been fed intoplates beneath them, and they remain holding the work down preferablyuntil the Work is complete; but at the end of the operation they rise,releasing the work, so that the plate 13 may be withdrawn with theattached clips. The movable plate 71 may be guided in its verticalreciprocation upon the framework 20 by means of the guide-plates 76.

The punches 10 and clenching-tools 11 are respectively rigidly mountedon the cross-bar supports and 81, which may be bolted to the verticalreciprocating plate 82, carrying a cam-roller at its lower end, whichruns into the camway 83 in the cam 84. The section Fig. 3, taken on theplane 3 3 of Fig. 1,10oking toward the left, shows this mechanism veryclearly. The reciprocating plate 82 may run in and be supported andguided by a central channel or slideway in the plate 71 and may be heldtherein by means of the movable plates 85 S6. The cam 84 is so timedthat immediately after the clips have been fed into place and thedivided dies 60 brought up against the underside of the work the plate82 makes a rapid descending followed by a rapid ascending movement,causing the punches 10 to punch through the plates and the clenchtools11 to clench the bur or projecting points of the metal, as alreadydescribed.

I have now described each one of the various motions and mechanismscontemplated in my invention in its most preferredform. It will be seenthat all the power is derived from the main shaft 38 and that onerevolution of this shaft 38 constitutes a complete cycle of the machine.

It will be seen from the drawings that nearly all parts are madeadjustable, and I desire particularly to point out the followingadjustments: WVhen longer or shorter clips are to be used, this isprovided for by adjusting the stop 25 upon the inclined table 23, so asto bring the center of the unbent clip in line with the center of thebending-bar 30. To provide for the greater or less length of the clip asit is fed in beneath the punches 10, the feederslides 50 are adjustedrelatively to the movable bar 51, which may be accomplished by means ofthe bolts 511, which extend through slots in the feed-slides 50, asindicated in Fig. 5. Variations in the thickness of the metal to bepunched and clenched when greater than the variation which may bereadily'taken up by the rubber springs 7 1 is provided for by usinglonger or shorter rubber springs 74 or inserting or removing washers, soas to withdraw the normal height of the presserfeet 70. The amount ofpressure which will be normally produced by the presser-feet 70 isadjusted by means of the nuts 75, already described. The lesser orgreater width of the plates 13 is allowed for and the plates properlycentered relative to the two punches by IIO means of the guide 22 andits lateral adj ustment, already described. The punches 10 and theclenching-tools 11 may be separately adjusted vertically at will bymeans of the nuts 101 102 103, and finally the divided die 60 may beadjusted vertically by means of the nuts 601 602.

The shaft 38 may be driven by the band or belt pulley 90, which runscontinuously and loosely upon the shaft, but is clutched thereto atwill, so as to turn the shaft by depressing the pedal 91 and therebyactuating the controlling-toe 92. This is a well-known form ofmechanism, and as it constitutes no essential part'of my presentinvention I neither illustrate nor describe its details. Various formsof clutch may be used, it being preferable that the depressing of thetreadle 91 should cause a single cycle of the machine, so that theoperator after placing a plate in position depresses the treadle andimmediately the machine goes through its cycle and secures the clips 12onto the plate, at the same time bending and placing two other clipsready for the next cycle, as I have already described.

I do not attempt to enumerate or describe many equivalent devices forthe several mechanisms which I have set forth such, for instance, asusing a metal spring interposed at any desired point or metal springs inplace of the rubber springs shown in the drawings, or such, forinstance, as storing a number of already-bent clips in a magazine andfeeding them from the magazine into the machine. In the broader aspectof my invention, as

- claimed in the following claims, I wish it to be understood that themeans for carrying out each of the motions or functions clearly setforth in the foregoing may be varied without departing from theprinciples and combinations which constitute the essentials of myinvention in its broadest application.

I have described my invention in its preferred form, just as it has beenembodied in an existing machine, and I now claim as the essentialfeatures of the invention the following:

1. In a machine for securingclips to sheets, mechanism for bending thesaid clips, mechanism for feeding the bent clips to the suitably-placedsheets, mechanism for simultaneously punching the ends of each of thesaid clips and the sheet to which they are to be affixed, and clenchingmechanism, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a machine for securing a clip to a sheet, mechanismfor feeding in the said clip,mechanism for simultaneously punching thesaid clip and the said sheet, and mechanism for clenching over thepunched-up ends of the metal, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a machine for securing a clip to a sheet, mechanismfor feeding in the said clip,mechanism for simultaneously punching thesaid clip and the said sheet, and mechanism for clenching the punched-up ends and a driving-shaft and connections for operating all of saidmechanism, controllable at will, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with means for supporting blanks a bending-barstriking and carryin g the said blanks between suitable supports to bendthe said blanks, and a spring-pressed foot or piece, 31, pressinglaterally against the said bending-bar during part of its movement,substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with a support for a blank, the inclined bending-bar,reciprocating through an interval in the said support, and anoppositely-inclined table or chute beneath the said bending-barreceiving and delivering the bent blank by gravity, substantially as setforth.

6. In combination with a support for a blank,the bending-bar,reciprocating through an interval in the said support, and an inclinedtable or chute beneath the said bending-bar receiving and delivering thebent blank by gravity, and a reciprocating slide or feeder 50 forfeeding the said blank when so delivered, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with means for feeding a bent clip forward, thepivoted finger 58 movable to compress or guide the said clip while beingfed and connections for actuating the said movable finger, substantiallyas described.

8. In combination with a supporting-table 21 for a plate 13, amechanical punch 10 acting on a portion of the said plate 13 when inplace and means for feeding a strap or clip with one of its ends aboveand the other below the said plate 13 beneath the said punch,substantially as described.

9. In combination with means for supporting a plate and means fordelivering a clip, loop, or scrap thereto, a punch 10, acting upon thesaid plate and the said strap, clip or loop, and a presser-foot70.moving independently of said punch for securely holding the saidplate and the said strap, clip or loop, substantially as described.

10. In combination in a punching and clenching machine, a pun ch 10,clenching-tool 11, divided die 60, and presser-foot 70 in combinationwith mechanical connections actuating the punch against the said divideddie, and the clenching-tool against the said presserfoot 70, and meansfor opening the said die 60 to permit the movement of the clenchingtool11 therethrough, substantially as described.

11. In combination with means for supporting a plate 13, the divided die60, means for moving the said die 60 toward the said plate 13, acooperating punch 10, means for actuating the said punch toward the saiddie 60 to perforate the said plate 13, means for opening the saiddivided die 60, and a clenchingtool 11, and means for actuating the saidclenching-tool 11 in a direction opposite to the direction of the punch10, when the said die 60 is opened, substantially as described.

12. In combination in a punching and clenching machine, the main shaft38 and means for actuating the same, clip-bending and feeding-inmechanism actuated by the rock-shaft 33, and a cam movement andconnection for actuating the rock-shaft 33 from the said shaft 88,substantially as described.

13. In combination in a punching and clenching machine, the main shaft38 and means for actuating the same, clip-bending and feeding-inmechanism actuated by the rock-shaft 33, mechanical connections foractuating the said shaft 33 from the said shaft 38, a punch and aclenching-tool mounted and movable together and actuated from the saidshaft 38, and a divided punching-die 6O actuated from the said shaft 38,substantially as set forth.

14. In combination with the main shaft 38, the three movable supports61, 71 and 82, actuated by three different cams or sets of cams upon thesaid shaft 38, the divided dies 60 carried and actuated by the saidsupport 61, the presser-foot 70 movable Without the said support 71, andpunching and clenching tools moving with the said support 82,substantially as described.

15. In combination with a table 21 for supporting a plate 13, a punch 10and opposing clenching-tool 11, mounted upon and actuated by a commonmovable support, the movement of the said support in one directionactuating the punch against the said plate, and the reverse movementactuating the clenching-tool against the said plate, substantially asdescribed.

16. In combination With a punch 10, a clenching-tool 11, a divisible die60 consisting of two pivoted parts between which the said punch and thesaid clenching-tool move, a movable support to which the said parts ofthe die 60 are pivoted, and fixed points 66 against Which the two partsof the said divided die 60 bear, the 'movement of the said support forthe said divided die, causing the said die to open and close,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of August,1897.

JOHN T. MORROW.

Vitnesses:

GEO. C. PIWONKA, HENRY J. PARKS.

